Facebook acquires Source3 to crack down on pirated videos

In a bid to crack down on users who shared pirated videos and other content without permission, Facebook has acquired a start up, Source3.

The startup builds technology to detect intellectual property that is shared by internet users without permission.

Facebook will acquire the technology and take on board some members of the team behind Source3, which announced the deal on its website.

According to Crunchbase, Source3 has raised just in excess of $4 million in venture capital funding.

Pirated content, had in the past, posed challenges for the social network, and it is now two years since the company first announced ''Rights Manager,'' technology to detect and remove video clips shared by people who did not have rights to the video.

YouTube has something similar on offer, though more advanced, called Content ID.

According to commentators, with the acquisition of Source3, it is clear that Facebook has not yet perfected its rights management technology.

The company aimed to be home to lots of professionally produced video, which was the reason it was paying publishers and movie studios to make videos exclusively for the social network. Video creators would not like to keep giving Facebook their videos if the videos were available to people for stealing and making a profit.

''We're excited to work with the Source3 team and learn from the expertise they've built in intellectual property, trademarks and copyright,'' a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement shared with Recode. ''As always, we are focused on ensuring we serve our partners well.''

According to the startup,  ''At Source3, we set out to recognize, organize and analyze branded intellectual property in user-generated content, and we are proud to have identified products across a variety of areas including sports, music, entertainment and fashion.''

With its technology, Facebook can recognise brand IP in user-created content and commerce marketplaces, allowing brands to measure their presence or take action against infringers of their copyrights and trademarks.